UPDATE: Hi Everyone, ever since the day I uploaded this video, I have had consistent problems with the power steering on my '12 Focus. Two weeks ago, I had to replace the entire rack and pinion on my car because the PSCM (power steering control module) integrated on the rack and pinion was fryed. I am able to confirm this because of the $125 I paid the local Ford dealership to diagnose when my car no longer wanted to steer normally upon start-up. The part runs $1000 at the dealership and ~$350 on Ebay. I bought the Ebay part, and it worked great. It was a serious pain in the a$$ to replace it, but it wasn't too bad when my dad and I found out how to replace it correctly. We believe that the PCSM went out because it is extremely close to the exhaust manifold, and therefore, eventually over time, heated the cheap capacitors in the computer. Either that or continuous computer error over the course of a year resulted in a permanant malfunction. I plan to rid my car soon because I am officially done with this car. Cheers, everyone and have a great day.
What eBay seller did you buy the part from? Because this exact problem hit me today. I’ve had the light pop on me a few times a month. Now it won’t go away, so I’m guessing I’ll have to do what you did.
Mine came up today w STEERING ASSIST FAULT and the icon between gas guage and temp. It happened as i got in to leave my house...steering wheel would barely move. I backed it up 1 ft...put it in park...turned it off...waited about 15 seconds and turnedbit back on...no issues or faults showed up and steering was fine. Im seeing there was a recall in this but ive never gotten a notice and mines a 2013 focus se...wonder if the dealer will fix this under that recall???
@@Newbechic nope i know! However there was some sort of steeribg issue which has now appeared to have dropped off the recall list. There should ABSOLUTELY be a recall for this as my local Ford dealership had the balls to tell me they've had the racks go bad on newer vehicles with less miles then mine had...which was 40k original miles. It's insane they know its an issue yet do absolutely nothing about it. Makes total sense why Ford has been downgraded in the stock market to junk!
Omg that's messed up. Because when I called their head quarters, looked online and spoke to a dealership, they said absolutely no recall for this. I agree that there needs to be a recall because my steering wheel died while I was driving on the freeway with my daughter. I'm was absolutely pissed. If you see anything , could you provide a link?
@@Newbechic absolutely! And your situation is similar to hundreds more! Pple have wrecked bc of these faulty racks and Ford will do nothing about it bc they don't want to be liable for it. If you go to www.cars.com...you will see ALL the problems and issues w these cars....incl all the accidents. If your rack is shot...contact Detroit axle for the replacement rack and find a good, trustworthy local mechanic to do the install. Do NOT take it to Ford as they will rape you at a cost of nearly 2k for the same work as $600...parts AND labor! Best of luck to you!!!
You said it happened as you were leaving your house and then you turned it back on and it was fine. Have you had problems since then?? Mine showed steering assist fault for the first time tonight (same thing though where turning it back on was totally fine for 10 min drive home) & im planning on a 3hr drive tomorrow ... unsure if I should feel worried about it going out on me on the interstate.
I have 2014 focus but there's no testing signal on the board, only became hard the steering wheel, then after a while, turn on again and the steering is soft, could be the module?
Had this problem only 30k on the car, steering rack was replaced under warranty, was lucky would have cost over 1000 for something that should never fail,
Glad to hear it got fixed. I personally replaced the steering rack twice. First replacement was a temporary and last for about a year. And the second time around, the car liked the rack better.
Mine just went out also... I called the dealership just now to see if ford got their crap together to have a recall on this issue and that is a big negative. The only recall I have is for the door handles..
How I fixed the steering assist malfunction, now it does it very rarely maybe once every 2 months on my 2011 focus hatchback and this is what I did to cure it from the dreaded steering assist malfunction message..... Firstly i replaced the battery with a genuine Ford one. 2, I had the steering wiring loop replaced 3, Done a software update on the car at Ford dealer. Hope this helps anyone before forking out £1400 on a steering rack! Also if your stuck with the tight steering after the messege switch off the ignition and on again it usually resets it to normal(until the next time it happens).
I have the same problem intermittent message for 2 years and usually reset it to a normal but now is permanent. I send it to authorize Ford mechanic and gave me two solutions 1,To change with second hand cost 600 Eu without installation ,no guarantee 2.A new one with 1400 Eu without installation one year guarantee 3. New genuine Ford battery I am from Cyprus and the car is Ford Focus Mk3 1.6Ti -2011
I have a ford fusion 2011 v6 se 3.0 and I been threw this three times first time I replace the rack and found out I really did not need to my two front tires was bad and the shaking threw of the whole system the next time it did it the dealership replace it under the recall and just this past monday same shit one of my tires was bad and I notice the shaking again and you know what was next advancetrac/ power sterring assist well I got four new tires and took the car to the dealer to have them clear that code they tried to say I need a new rack and that the code cant be turned off I told the them Bs I had it done before just do what I ask please they charged me 60 bucks for a 30 mintues to turn it off or so they say so before you do the whole rack check your tires and make sure your tpms light is not on ford knows about this and I agree that is to much heat under the car where this rack is so they getting burned hope this help out stay away from ford cars unless your car take power steering fluid I am going back to the old cars
I just experienced this with my car! It's a 2014 and has just over 60k miles. I'm wondering if my warrantee covers this BS. I initially thought that I needed steering fluid, but found out it's EPAS. I'm hoping to not face the issue in the morning so I can safely take it into the dealership for a look.
Lady Hoover Hi Lady, while driving, no. Only at the instant I turn on my car; a sound rings from the dash, and orange icon pops up, and the message is read on the dashboard. I always turn the car off, let it sit for a bit, and turn it on again. Most of the time, it goes away. Other times, I have to redo the steps for a good 5 minutes. #TheThingsWithFord
+Cirenio Pizano glad that has not happen to you, I did some more research, and come to find out, it has happen to others, and they were injured from it, I also heard that, this happen to a lady while she was driving and she lost her life, so very sad. I called Ford today and they stated that there is no recalls on it, & they have never heard of it. If you google it, you will see lots of complaint about this problem.
Mine has done it several times but it usually doesn’t last long and goes back to normal but now it’s doing it again and it’s been now a week and still going I’ve had taken my car to ford dealership for recalls but it always comes out worse the door recalls my car had no problems before but after I had issues with the doors I let them know what did they do that now my doors won’t shut and the rubber lining around the doors fall off which didn’t happen before also the motor recalls again took my car only to come out with problems after taking it in I no longer trust them nor did I take the car again this was a Christmas gift I got years ago and am so blessed to have a car I can drive and use but now again the Steering wheel Assistance has come up and hoping I can as I read do the suggestions I’ve read on the comments before having to go in to the ford dealership and have them mess up my car again
good day, my name is Marcus from South Africa. having the same problem in my car , (Ford Focus 1.6 2012) Steering assist malfunction. they diagnose the car and tell me that i have to replace the steering wheel pump which is expensive for me.
+fishy friable Hi, you know what, thats a good question. I can make a video about it, so you can check it out. Also, i bought the part off eBay from DetroutAxle...something like that.
fishyfriable essentially, you have to loosen and remove the bolts and nuts from a black metal brace underneath the car. and disconnect, 2---not 3--connectors from the computer of the rack and pinion. Also, loosen the outer tie rods from the pinion.
just to let people know with 2011s still active recall just did mine for free please I urge you to take in if your having this problem dealer had it back to me in a day
Hi Tod, I called Ford Customer Service , and I even registered my car into Ford's online ownership website. I found no such recalls for any of the power steering problems with my car. Can you help me out?
My girlfriend's focus started like that then it gave up completely. To help prevent stress on the eletric steering motor replace tires and get alignments constantly
I was doing this for a while and now it’s completely out, but I called Ford and they said this was a recall.. something about airbags. I don’t know I have to take it in on Friday
Kevin Riley right so what it was apparently its a design fault. The power steering wires etc are too close to the engine amd the solder had melted removing wires but because its a sealed unit it means a full steering rack replacement
If it was hot enough to melt solder you would have a far bigger problem. Ford's not talk but there is a video here of a guy that tore his down and found that the electronics over heated and the insulating paste dried out. That was a Fusion but like the Focus to close to the exhaust manifold.
MMmmmm No. Electrical solder doesn't start melting until 400 deg F. No where does the engine block get anywhere near 400 deg F. If it did you would have far worse problems as in no more engine. I have a 2012 Focus and the exhaust is on the back of the engine well away from the power steering rack since the rack is under the front of the engine. So no melting solder. If it was just the wires being disconnected you just reroute and reconnect them. Also the leads to the power steering electronics enclosure are sheathed in the wiring harness so they not exposed. Lastly in that subject there is no solder involved in an automotive wiring harness the connectors are all crimped to the pins and then inserted into the connector blocks. The problem that some have found is the dielectric grease inside the electronics enclosure dries out causing an intermittent electrical fault. THAT is the design fault.
UPDATE:
Hi Everyone, ever since the day I uploaded this video, I have had consistent problems with the power steering on my '12 Focus. Two weeks ago, I had to replace the entire rack and pinion on my car because the PSCM (power steering control module) integrated on the rack and pinion was fryed. I am able to confirm this because of the $125 I paid the local Ford dealership to diagnose when my car no longer wanted to steer normally upon start-up. The part runs $1000 at the dealership and ~$350 on Ebay. I bought the Ebay part, and it worked great. It was a serious pain in the a$$ to replace it, but it wasn't too bad when my dad and I found out how to replace it correctly.
We believe that the PCSM went out because it is extremely close to the exhaust manifold, and therefore, eventually over time, heated the cheap capacitors in the computer. Either that or continuous computer error over the course of a year resulted in a permanant malfunction.
I plan to rid my car soon because I am officially done with this car. Cheers, everyone and have a great day.
Cirenio Pizano do you hace any image of the pscm?
Cirenio Pizano do you have to programa the pscm?
Cirenio Pizano where exactly is the power steering located at on my car ?
Cirenio Pizano how did you learn to replace it?
What eBay seller did you buy the part from? Because this exact problem hit me today. I’ve had the light pop on me a few times a month. Now it won’t go away, so I’m guessing I’ll have to do what you did.
If there isn't there should be a recall for this my car is doing the exact same thing.. Piece of crap ford
Mine came up today w STEERING ASSIST FAULT and the icon between gas guage and temp. It happened as i got in to leave my house...steering wheel would barely move. I backed it up 1 ft...put it in park...turned it off...waited about 15 seconds and turnedbit back on...no issues or faults showed up and steering was fine.
Im seeing there was a recall in this but ive never gotten a notice and mines a 2013 focus se...wonder if the dealer will fix this under that recall???
I have not seen a recall for this. If you look up the ford website, you will not find it
@@Newbechic nope i know! However there was some sort of steeribg issue which has now appeared to have dropped off the recall list.
There should ABSOLUTELY be a recall for this as my local Ford dealership had the balls to tell me they've had the racks go bad on newer vehicles with less miles then mine had...which was 40k original miles. It's insane they know its an issue yet do absolutely nothing about it. Makes total sense why Ford has been downgraded in the stock market to junk!
Omg that's messed up. Because when I called their head quarters, looked online and spoke to a dealership, they said absolutely no recall for this. I agree that there needs to be a recall because my steering wheel died while I was driving on the freeway with my daughter. I'm was absolutely pissed. If you see anything , could you provide a link?
@@Newbechic absolutely! And your situation is similar to hundreds more! Pple have wrecked bc of these faulty racks and Ford will do nothing about it bc they don't want to be liable for it. If you go to www.cars.com...you will see ALL the problems and issues w these cars....incl all the accidents. If your rack is shot...contact Detroit axle for the replacement rack and find a good, trustworthy local mechanic to do the install. Do NOT take it to Ford as they will rape you at a cost of nearly 2k for the same work as $600...parts AND labor! Best of luck to you!!!
You said it happened as you were leaving your house and then you turned it back on and it was fine. Have you had problems since then?? Mine showed steering assist fault for the first time tonight (same thing though where turning it back on was totally fine for 10 min drive home) & im planning on a 3hr drive tomorrow ... unsure if I should feel worried about it going out on me on the interstate.
His shit broke down on the way to a sneaky link 😭😭😭
😂
😂😂😂😂
Does it mean its low on power steering fluid
No it’s electric power sterring
There is no power steering fluid. It’s electric.
I have 2014 focus but there's no testing signal on the board, only became hard the steering wheel, then after a while, turn on again and the steering is soft, could be the module?
Had this problem only 30k on the car, steering rack was replaced under warranty, was lucky would have cost over 1000 for something that should never fail,
Glad to hear it got fixed. I personally replaced the steering rack twice. First replacement was a temporary and last for about a year. And the second time around, the car liked the rack better.
@Cirenio Pizano could you let us know what products you used? Thanks in advanced.
could you tell us what you meant by "how to replace it correctly?"
Mine just went out also... I called the dealership just now to see if ford got their crap together to have a recall on this issue and that is a big negative. The only recall I have is for the door handles..
How I fixed the steering assist malfunction, now it does it very rarely maybe once every 2 months on my 2011 focus hatchback and this is what I did to cure it from the dreaded steering assist malfunction message.....
Firstly i replaced the battery with a genuine Ford one.
2, I had the steering wiring loop replaced
3, Done a software update on the car at Ford dealer.
Hope this helps anyone before forking out £1400 on a steering rack!
Also if your stuck with the tight steering after the messege switch off the ignition and on again it usually resets it to normal(until the next time it happens).
I have the same problem intermittent message for 2 years and usually reset it to a normal but now is permanent. I send it to authorize Ford mechanic and gave me two solutions
1,To change with second hand cost 600 Eu without installation ,no guarantee
2.A new one with 1400 Eu without installation one year guarantee
3. New genuine Ford battery
I am from Cyprus and the car is Ford Focus Mk3 1.6Ti -2011
I have a ford fusion 2011 v6 se 3.0 and I been threw this three times first time I replace the rack and found out I really did not need to my two front tires was bad and the shaking threw of the whole system the next time it did it the dealership replace it under the recall and just this past monday same shit one of my tires was bad and I notice the shaking again and you know what was next advancetrac/ power sterring assist well I got four new tires and took the car to the dealer to have them clear that code they tried to say I need a new rack and that the code cant be turned off I told the them Bs I had it done before just do what I ask please they charged me 60 bucks for a 30 mintues to turn it off or so they say so before you do the whole rack check your tires and make sure your tpms light is not on ford knows about this and I agree that is to much heat under the car where this rack is so they getting burned hope this help out stay away from ford cars unless your car take power steering fluid I am going back to the old cars
I replaced my Focus with an older car. 2008 Acura TL. I loved the styling and no electric steering assist. Fewer computers is better.
the i in a box is the master warning lamp and when started the car it came up than went a way with a beep
Hola mi ford focus tiene el mismo problema, que puedo hacer?
Did you ever figure out why this car did this mine is doing the same thing
I just experienced this with my car! It's a 2014 and has just over 60k miles. I'm wondering if my warrantee covers this BS. I initially thought that I needed steering fluid, but found out it's EPAS. I'm hoping to not face the issue in the morning so I can safely take it into the dealership for a look.
Check it out. They're might be a TBS out from the manufacturer
Looks like it said HILL start assist not available. I have no idea what that means.
Correct. This moment wasn't the only time it has happened. It reads "Hill start assist malfunction" for a brief second and disappears.
I have a '12 ford escape. Steering assist is driving me crazy.
+izeugirdor hey, I have a focus also, & this just happen to me. My question is, has it given you that problem while driving?
Lady Hoover Hi Lady, while driving, no. Only at the instant I turn on my car; a sound rings from the dash, and orange icon pops up, and the message is read on the dashboard. I always turn the car off, let it sit for a bit, and turn it on again. Most of the time, it goes away. Other times, I have to redo the steps for a good 5 minutes. #TheThingsWithFord
+Cirenio Pizano glad that has not happen to you, I did some more research, and come to find out, it has happen to others, and they were injured from it, I also heard that, this happen to a lady while she was driving and she lost her life, so very sad. I called Ford today and they stated that there is no recalls on it, & they have never heard of it. If you google it, you will see lots of complaint about this problem.
Mine has done it several times but it usually doesn’t last long and goes back to normal but now it’s doing it again and it’s been now a week and still going I’ve had taken my car to ford dealership for recalls but it always comes out worse the door recalls my car had no problems before but after I had issues with the doors I let them know what did they do that now my doors won’t shut and the rubber lining around the doors fall off which didn’t happen before also the motor recalls again took my car only to come out with problems after taking it in I no longer trust them nor did I take the car again this was a Christmas gift I got years ago and am so blessed to have a car I can drive and use but now again the Steering wheel Assistance has come up and hoping I can as I read do the suggestions I’ve read on the comments before having to go in to the ford dealership and have them mess up my car again
good day, my name is Marcus from South Africa. having the same problem in my car , (Ford Focus 1.6 2012) Steering assist malfunction. they diagnose the car and tell me that i have to replace the steering wheel pump which is expensive for me.
Marcus Kulani check the fuse box in your engine compartment there is a fuse for assist steering wheel, it might be the problem
Kulani did you ever get it sorted? Having the same problem, service center says i should cough up 32k to have the steering mechanism replaced
@@tiyidambuza599032k????????? Your trolling extremely hard 😂
Where did you figure out how to change it mine went out on me and buying the part on eBay trying to replace it myself
+fishy friable Hi, you know what, thats a good question. I can make a video about it, so you can check it out. Also, i bought the part off eBay from DetroutAxle...something like that.
fishyfriable essentially, you have to loosen and remove the bolts and nuts from a black metal brace underneath the car. and disconnect, 2---not 3--connectors from the computer of the rack and pinion. Also, loosen the outer tie rods from the pinion.
Same problem rn
just to let people know with 2011s still active recall just did mine for free please I urge you to take in if your having this problem dealer had it back to me in a day
Hi Tod,
I called Ford Customer Service , and I even registered my car into Ford's online ownership website. I found no such recalls for any of the power steering problems with my car. Can you help me out?
It happens with my 2011s Focus. Do you have a document regarding this recall, so I can Show to the Ford dealer. Thanks
I had my recall done on my 2011 fusion a couple months ago, and i am still having power assist failure issues....
I called today and they want to charge $200 just to diagnose it even though it is recalled
@@cireniopizano4506 I did not find a recall on this issue.
Mine doesnt come on when i turn the car on some times. So i just shut it off and turn it back on. And it works. Will this get worse?
Mine started off like that and this morning it completely gave up on me.
My girlfriend's focus started like that then it gave up completely. To help prevent stress on the eletric steering motor replace tires and get alignments constantly
I was doing this for a while and now it’s completely out, but I called Ford and they said this was a recall.. something about airbags. I don’t know I have to take it in on Friday
@@MariV638 Goodluck! Ive been out of a vehicle for months because the place sold me a shit car. And Ford Cant even tell me wtf is wrong with my car.
It will get worse
It just happened to me what is the best way to get the steering wheel to get loose again im stranded in a public place
Joanna Soto did you ever get it fixed. I'm stranded in a public place with mine
Restarting the ignition usually resets the problem.
it does reset it but keeps coming back to the problem, if i change it myself do i have to get the ecu reprogrammed?
I have sort of the same problem but mines I can't reverse. It just says transmission isn't on park. And the steering is hard. Can anyone help??
MRGRIMMINFLAMES sounds like your TCM or ECU is faultyu
HOLA MI FORD 2013 TIENE LA DIRECCION DURA CADA VEZ QUE SE PRENDE LA LUZ DE ANTIPATINAJE
Hola ya lo areglastes
Mine as just started doing this and apparently it's to do with power steering pump
2012 and on ford cars don't have power steering pumps. The PS is electric.
Kevin Riley right so what it was apparently its a design fault.
The power steering wires etc are too close to the engine amd the solder had melted removing wires but because its a sealed unit it means a full steering rack replacement
If it was hot enough to melt solder you would have a far bigger problem. Ford's not talk but there is a video here of a guy that tore his down and found that the electronics over heated and the insulating paste dried out. That was a Fusion but like the Focus to close to the exhaust manifold.
MMmmmm No. Electrical solder doesn't start melting until 400 deg F. No where does the engine block get anywhere near 400 deg F. If it did you would have far worse problems as in no more engine. I have a 2012 Focus and the exhaust is on the back of the engine well away from the power steering rack since the rack is under the front of the engine. So no melting solder. If it was just the wires being disconnected you just reroute and reconnect them. Also the leads to the power steering electronics enclosure are sheathed in the wiring harness so they not exposed. Lastly in that subject there is no solder involved in an automotive wiring harness the connectors are all crimped to the pins and then inserted into the connector blocks. The problem that some have found is the dielectric grease inside the electronics enclosure dries out causing an intermittent electrical fault. THAT is the design fault.
Ok so on mine the code states a control module issue, replace the whole ps column?
The tittle😂
U need to take it to Ford there's a recall on those. It happened to my car 4x
Tamika's a Beauty There isn’t a recall on the 2012 models. I️ have the same car with the same situation.
I’m having the same problem and i have Ford Fusion 12’..
I have a 2011 model.ford.focus edge an mines just gone...any help?
@@ChampY95 Same here...could not find the recall listed.